Delete WardCouncil President Praises Huntington Bank for Decision to Reopen Buckeye Branch
Aug 12, 2024
Council President Blaine A. Griffin is praising Huntington Bank and its decision to reopen their Buckeye Avenue branch by the end of October.
“This is unheard of, but I can’t say enough good things about Huntington Bank and its work with my office and residents who worked tirelessly to make the case why this bank branch is so important to the neighborhood,” said Council President Griffin. “I understood Huntington’s safety concerns, and we worked hard to make sure those were alleviated. Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration and 4th District Interim Police Commander Ralph Valentino, deserve credit for demonstrating our commitment to safety and the fight for our community.”
Council President Griffin also commended the work of so many in the community. The residents collaborated with Huntington and met monthly, as well as started a petition that 1,100 people signed, and a documentary was made to showcase both residents’ appeal and their discussions with Huntington to find a way to keep the branch open.
“Huntington is a great partner to Cleveland,” Council President Griffin added, noting the grants it’s providing and expansion of a mortgage program that helps those with lower credit scores and small down payments buy homes. “I couldn’t be more excited by the news.”
Councilwoman Gray called it a win for the city and the neighborhood. “I want to thank Huntington, the community, all the residents who worked with Council, who worked with Huntington to have this great outcome,” she added.
Huntington announced an expansion of their “Home for Good Mortgage.” This program offers low down payments, a $5,000 grant that can be used towards the down payment, if needed, without requiring those buyers to get mortgage insurance. Part of the program offers home equity lines of credit up to $30,000 for qualified borrowers. The program now includes all of Cleveland and much of Greater Cleveland.
Huntington has also provided grants focused on the Buckeye Neighborhood, including a $25,000 grant to Burten, Bell, Carr CDC to fund safety improvement grants for businesses in Buckeye, as well as $100,000 to both the Community Housing Solutions and the Home Repair Resource Center to help fund home repairs in Buckeye, as well as $30,000 for a Connecting Our Seniors program to provide digital literacy training for seniors, with expanded outreach to those in the Buckeye Neighborhood.
When the branch reopens by the end of October, it will resume offering drive-through banking and in lobby services by appointment, which is how it operated prior to the February closing.